Machine for packing articles



Dec. 1 1,518,558

J. H. L.- BOETTCHER MACHINE FOR PACKING ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 4, 1925 INVENTOR Ja c0 5 fie/nr/cfi L udur/y fiaeffcher A ATTORNEYS Dec. 9, 1 924. 1,518,558

J. H. L. BOETTCHER MACHINE FOR PACKING ARTICLES Filed June 4, 1923 3 Sheets-$heet 2 llHll llLAll V ,Illl? 9 ATTORNE m Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES JACOB HEINRICH LUDVZIGBOETTCHER, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR PACKING ARTICLES.

Application filed June 45,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. JACOB HEINRICH LUD- wre BOETTGHER, a citizen of the United States, and'resident of Orange. in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for- Packing Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a certain new and original machine for facilitating the packing of crackers or other articles adapted to be packed thereby.

These articles are ordinarily stacked up and placed in the boxes by hand. This results very often in more than the required number going into the box, which makes the box difficult to seal; and very often results in breaking some of the articles in the box. I

An object of the invention is to provide such a machine which is of extreme s1mplicity, very cheap to manufacture, operable by unskilled labor, and which has very few parts which are atall likely to get out of order.

Another object consists in providing certain improvements in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts, whereby the above named and other objects may be effectively attained.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanving drawings, in which- I Fig. 1 represents a side view of the machine, the lower part of the supporting frame and driving belt being broken away. Fig. 2 represents a cross sectional view taken in the plane of the line IIII of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. 7

Figs. 3 and 4 representlongitudinal ectional views with parts broken away, illustrating the operation of the machine.

The machine includes an inclined trough or guideway designed to feed the articles to be packaged, together with a lever which resists the movement of the articles in the trough but which is so actuated as to intermittently permit a predetermined number of the articles to pass downwardly, after which another mechanism comes into action and holds back the remainder of the body or column of the articles in the trou h. The apparatus is arranged so that this predetermined number of articles intermittently permitted to pass downwardly in the trough 1923. Serial No. 643,355.

may be varied so as to be just sufiicient to fill the box or container into which the articles are to be packed. The lower end of the trough is provided with members which are adapted to assist the operator in holding and spreading open the container and its liner, if any.

The reference numeral 1 designates the sloping trough or guideway, which has its lower part 2 curved. The trench is supported on the standard 3. and, as illustrated, is composed of two angle-shaped members 4 and 5 united and spaced apart bv braces and plates 6. A slot or opening is thus provided along the centre of the trough for the passage of a member hereinafter described. The column of articles in the trough is indicated at a in Figs. 3 and 4.

Mounted on the standard 3 is a pullev 7 which is driven by a belt 8 which in turn may be driven by any suitable source of power, (not shown). This pulley is revolved at a comparatively slow speed and has on its outer face a crank pin 9 to which .is pivoted the crank 10. The other end of i stopped when a certain predetermined number of articles have advanced. and this means will now be described.

Pivoted at 1 1 to the lever 12 is a rod 15 which is supported at its free end in the bracket 16, secured to one of the plates 6. This rod 15 carries a sliding member 17 which cooperates with rollers 18 carried by a pair of jaws 19. These jaws are mounted at 20 on the standard 3 in such a manner as to permit them to be opened or closed. As illustrated in Fig. 2 a stud 21 carries the jaws, the jaws being mounted between a sleeve 22 on the stud and a spring 23. The holes in the jaws through which the stud passes are somewhatfenlarged, thus allowing the jaws to be opened to release the column of articles or closed,,

as in Fig. 2, to hold back the column Small blocks 24, having serrated. faces are, securedto. the jaws for actual engagement with the column of articles. These blocks 24 pass through opening 25 in the sides of the trough members 4, 5, andimpinge against the edges of one or moreof thears.

ticles at the front or lowermostpoint of the column.

Each jaw carries one of the rollers 18,

previously. mentioned: These rollers 18 are mounted. on studs 26'; carried .by brackets, 27,; which are secured toth'e jaws. A .spring .-28 fastened ,to the, studs ,26 tends; to; ,pull,;;the

jaws together and hold, them.in. .closed .posi: tion,

When the sliding memberul7-oomesi in;.

apart,;. allowing .the column -of garticles. ito move tlOWIlgIS-filSfQyZlS the pivotedileverul2a willpermit.., Thevend. ofthe sliding member...v

17 is rounde'dzor..tapered :at 29rso..as to. en-

able .it .7 to .enter; more readily between .the rollers 18, and the member is \madeofsmallaer diameter at. its intermediate part; 30;:so. that .the rollers 18 may holdv it morelfirmlyz until itziisdesired to disengage it. fromathe, bite of the ,rollersand allowth'e jaws to close:

'A stop. 31 for the sliding. member's-17 is threaded. on. the rod :15. Whenthemachine isin the positionshownl in..F-ig. 1 and the. jaws are holdingthe columnof articles, the

sliding membertis against. .thisstop 31.5 As

the lever .12. moves upwardly to engage. and," hold the column of crackers, as in' Fig, 3,:. this stopforces the member. 17 betweenthe. rollers .18 ..and holds the. jaws 19 open ...while the column of articles is permitted toidescend in the .guideway... The rod :15 .is then sliding throughltlie member. 17

32 the. number of articles allowed to advance willbe .varied so .tlrat the number of articles.-

to be advanced .may .be accurately predetermined and 1 will alwayswbe absolutely the same unless v intentionally changed by ad justing the stops 31- and 32. These stops 31' and' 32 are illustrated-as nuts mounted'on threaded portions: of the rod -15, but they may be constructed in any way so as to Ob tain the desired adj ustability.

Means is provided to hold the articles; erect after they have come to the lowercurved partof the trouglrandbefore-the op-- erator puts them in the 'box. This means comprises a pair of -light,- flexible spring members 33 isecu'red -to-the sides of'f'the trough. 11 These members are so lightand flexible that 1 there will be no tendency for them to break the articles or Seriously impede the movement of the articles when the operator. is pushing them, past, these spring members, but yet they are suiiiciently strong to preyent the arti cles from falling flat, whichwould 'be Very undesirable. V

Means isprovided on the end of the trough to assist in holding the box or container and spreading it open, and this will now be described. The boxes or containers in which the articlesjare placedare=.;trequently-lined WiiJlLafilL all; tight gpalperi- To keep hiscpaperispread openso as nottointerfere with'the entrance; of the .articles into the ,box

is an important/result, whicl1;. ,this ,-machine accomplishes, in alvery i simple Way;

A}; fiat, fixed member B llie secured at;,the lower end oithejtroughyiandia pair of flight, flexiblexmembers 35 are secured on ,armsul36 which are piyoted at i3'7y -to the "trough- The open, endof the bOXiILLId, its lining-are placed. 3 over these members justyy-describedaand"held, int po,siti on,- by the operator. When these members lare:icollapsedior: closed, as-shown.

in; Fig.v .=1,"the box. mayzreadilybelplaced. over them.and.,; as-the voperater pushes t1ie, .arti.c,les o into, the i-box the articlesthemselves open the members '3 5;:so, that the .containeris not; only.

spread open but a guide is formed forthe;

articles enteringthe container. Another pair of :5 light, flexible, spring-,members .38:-

materially assistgin "forming side-guides .and

keep theilining at the sidesof the container from. interfering with the articles-5 entering the same.

A brie f. idescriptionsotthe 1.operatio'n follows. The guid zway 0r trough: is kept .-:fu1l=: o t. artic1es. -.by-. the operator-., The belt t drives. thegpulley 7 which, throughthe ine: 'dium of the crankapin andccrankz9 iand 10.; 1noyes,,.the-. pivotedi leyenl- 12;; Imthe; position shown in; Fig. .1 -a predetermined, num-;.- ber of articles will be supporteduin the-fiexi; blei members =33 and}; the operator a wi1- 1; ;b'e ready ,to p-lace the box or; container in posizi. tion. and ,r-pusha the zarticlessthereinto.

The lever..12--1wi1l @then move to the position shownsinrF-igafi. The member 17 will:

separate the a:Ws .and.-:the, -,column of; 211'; ticles will be held or supported by the, lever. 12.: The levler;;12-.then starts: to move backjtoward thespo'sition, in; Figs..1 and 3 4, allowing/the column.oiiiarticles-to move.

in: the rguideway. When? .the, stop .32: en-

- gages; the member 17, just -;prior .to the .po-:

sition. shown iniFig. 4:,itl1e. member.-17:is;.

removed afrommthes bitezsof ithei. rollers. .18 and. theaws close, stopping the. column. The certain predetermined number of::-ar-: ticlesdesignated 5 a are then permitted to advancedown the trough;-

When .;the lever 12 moves -out of theirpath the articles -a descend and are held inth'eir proper. position by the fl exiblew members-33 The operator then places a-- container 'ontheend ot the trough over;

the members 84, and 38 and, with an implement of any desired shape, pushes the articles into the box. This procedure is repeated as long as the machine continues in operation. The machine may be started and stopped as desired by any suitable form of clutch (not shown).

I desire it to be understood that various changes may be resorted to in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; hence, I do not intend to be limited to the details herein shown and described except as they may be included in the claims.

What I claim is:

l. A machine of the character described comprising, a guideway for feeding a c0lumn of the articles, a movable stop for restraining the feeding movement of the articles, means for intermittently moving the stop out of engagement with the articles in order to permit the passage of a predetermined number thereof, and a pair of jaws for restraining the feeding movement of the articles after the passage of the said predetermined number, said jaws comprising elements located on opposite sides of and extending into the said guideway.

2. A machine of the character described comprising, a guideway for feeding a column of the articles, a movable stop for restraining the feeding movement of the ar ticles, means for intermittently moving the stop out of engagement with the articles in order to permit the passage of a predetermined number thereof, a pair of jaws for restraining the feeding movement of the articles after the passage of the said predetermined number, and mechanism carried by the stop moving means for controlling the action of the jaws.

3. A machine of the character described comprising, a guideway for feeding a column of the articles, a movable stop for restraining the feeding movement of the articles, means for intermittently moving the Stop out of engagement with the articles in order to permit the passage of a predetermined number thereof, a pair of jaws for restraining the feeding movement of the articles after the passage of the said predetermined number, and adj ustable mechanism carried by the stop moving means for controlling the action of the jaws.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this 31st'day of May, 1923.

JACOB HEINRICH LUDWlG BOETTCHER. 

